


grounding

by shadowcat500



Series: Plaguetober 2020 [7]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dissociation, Gen, Plague Doctors, Plaguetober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowcat500/pseuds/shadowcat500
Summary: Celia talks to Dahlia, who is acting strangely.
Series: Plaguetober 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948417
Kudos: 2





	grounding

**Author's Note:**

> 07/10 Ghost

“Hey, do you want some?”

Dahlia doesn’t respond, mask unchanging as ever and head not even tilting towards where Celia stands. Her hands stay wrapped around each arm, hold tightening every so often before loosening again. The shadows playing through the treeline against her coat make her look almost like someone from the old stories of ghostly figures in the woods with bird-heads, bodies of the breeze and eyes of blazing flame. Celia suppresses a shiver and tries again, waving the skewered fish in front of the lenses of Dahlia’s mask. Still no reaction.

The repetitive squeezing—maybe she’s trying to wake herself up from this? Celia grabs a brown-coated forearm and squeezes to an immediate if shaky reaction. Dahlia’s head moves, tilting in the way she does to show she’s listening, and the beak almost smacks Celia in the face. 

“Food.” Celia holds up the skewered fish, already closer to lukewarm than reassuringly hot. Dahlia nods and takes in a shaky hand, nodding her thanks before waiting for her to leave. (It’s not surprising: she never takes her mask off in front of them.) But Celia has more to say. “When you’re done eating, you can always come closer to the fire if you want to stay,” She gestures towards the ground with open palms. “ _here_.”

Dahlia’s mask just stares at her, the cold stare of a black-eyed bird, and Celia knows she’s close to overstaying her welcome. “Just keep it in mind.” With that, she turns around and backs off to the campfire. 

Later, when the fire burns low and Celia’s all but given up hope, she sees a glimpse of a beaked shadow drifting towards the campfire.

**Author's Note:**

> i do in fact dissociate so dahlia's behaviour is based on me when im in the Nightmare Realm
> 
> Check out my [ tumblr](https://existentialcrisisetcetera.tumblr.com/tagged/zach%20writes)!
> 
> Comments and kudos appreciated!


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